There are weeks in which the D.C. Circuit announces decisions that justify its reputation as an appellate court that tackles some of the thorniest and most consequential legal matters. And then there are weeks like last week. The D.C. Circuit handed down three opinions. Maryland Office of People’s Counsel v. FERC, No. 24-1353 involved the […]
The Supreme Court hears oral argument today in Trump v. Slaughter, (No. 25-332), to decide whether Humphrey’s Executor v. U.S., 295 U.S. 602 (1935), should be overruled. On Friday, the D. C. Circuit weighed in to the ongoing debate over Humphrey’s Executor just in time to add to the weekend reading of the justices’ law clerks. President Trump fired […]
In a week when the D. C. Circuit issued no opinions, we find ourselves with some time on our hands. Given the dire warnings that our addiction to screens is creating a post-literate society with its attendant personal and social pathologies, this may be a good time to read a book. My recommendation is Justice […]
Two cases in the D.C. Circuit last week continue the drama created by the Trump Administration’s muscular and maximalist views of Executive power. Another was less dramatic. Shira Perlmutter began serving as Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, a position housed within the Library of Congress and appointed and supervised by […]
The D.C. Circuit prides itself on making its decisions public in a timely fashion. An internal rule helps make that happen. A judge who has failed to circulate to the panel more than two of his assigned opinions by August 15 will not be allowed to hear arguments until he has. At first glance, one […]
Back in the day, cases involving detainees at Guantanamo Bay were argued in the D.C. Circuit regularly and frequently. Lately, not so much, but this week in al-Baluchi v. Hegseth, No. 23-5251 the D.C. Circuit was back at it again, dismissing the appeal of a detainee from a decision of the district court that denied […]
Who would have guessed that the most hotly contested legal issue in the federal courts in the spring of 2025 would be the propriety of an administrative stay? The D.C. Circuit was once again involved in the multitude of challenges to the multitude of President Trump’s executive orders and, once again, the issue was over […]
All eyes were on the D.C. Circuit this week for J.G.G. v. Trump, No. 25-5067. The case arises from President Trump’s March 15, 2025 Proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act (“AEA”), ch. 66, 1 Stat. 577 (1798) (codified as amended at 50 U.S.C. §§ 21-24) to order deportation of Venezuelan nationals that the federal government alleges […]
All was relatively quiet on the D. C. Circuit last week through the customary release of opinions on Friday, and then the storm hit. First, the calm. Only two decisions were released through Friday, neither of which has much significance beyond the interest of the parties. In Edward M.R. v. District of Columbia, No. 23-7143, the […]
The D. C. Circuit released only one opinion last week, on the last day of the year, and, fittingly, it involved a January 6 defendant. It will be interesting to see what the New Year brings for these defendants whose criminal activities have occupied so much of the recent time of the courts in the […]
Last Friday, the D.C. Circuit issued its decision in Alpine Securities Corp. v. FINRA, No. 23-5129, a closely-watched case about the authority of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), a private corporation that regulates and oversees large parts of the securities industry. The case raised significant questions about whether FINRA exercises too much executive authority […]
Last week, the D. C. Circuit issued only one opinion from a case argued last February. In Campaign Legal Ctr. v. 45Committee, Inc., No. 23-7040, Chief Judge Srinivasan, joined by Judge Childs and Senior Judge Randolph, affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a citizen suit brought under the Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”). Under FECA, […]
One of my go-to resources for trying to stay abreast of developments in constitutional law is the National Constitution Center and especially its podcast, We, the People. Under the inspired and able direction of Jeff Rosen, its president and CEO (and former D. C. Circuit clerk), the Center consistently produces excellent materials on the history […]
An internal rule of the D.C. Circuit encourages the circulation among the panel of all opinions for the previous term by August 15 of each year. Which means that July and early August can be stressful times in chambers. They certainly were in mine because, try as I might, I never mastered the skill of […]
My former colleague and good friend Judge David Tatel has been in the headlines of late with the release of his memoir, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. The articles about the book that I have read have, predictably, focused on Judge Tatel’s criticism of the Roberts Court. See, e.g., Ann Marimow’s article in […]